Basketball players of all ages and skill levels often desire to improve their basketball shooting technique. There are many aspects to good shooting technique, including stance, position of the fingers on the ball, and position of the elbow and shoulder during release and follow-through when shooting the basketball. Even professional basketball players find that there is room for improvement in one or more aspects of their technique and form.
Players often struggle with inconsistent aim and control of the ball during shooting. One particular aspect of the shooting process that can benefit from refinement is the position and spacing of the player's fingers on the basketball at the time of releasing the shot. Finger spacing during release is an often underappreciated but important element of the accuracy of the player's aim. Also, players often shift the position of their fingers on the ball during the act of shooting so that the ball last touches the player's longest finger when the ball is released. Movement and improper position of the fingers on the ball can both contribute to inconsistent and inaccurate shooting. Rather than releasing the ball from the fingertips almost simultaneously, the longer finger stays in contact with the ball longer, which potentially puts a side spin on the ball rather than the desired back spin.
U.S. Pub. No. 2007/0238558 describes an apparatus for assisting in teaching proper technique in holding and shooting a basketball. The apparatus has a one-piece construction with a generally V-shaped member having a concave surface on a first leg portion engageable with an inner surface of an index finger and a concave surface on a second leg portion engageable with an inner surface of a middle finger for spreading the index and middle fingers apart. The apparatus is described as being formed from a predetermined material selected from the group consisting of plastic and aluminum.
A commercially-available device marketed as the SHOOTERS FORK™ from Unique Sports Products Inc. (Alpharetta, Ga.) is a one-piece component configured to fit between adjacent fingers on the shooting hand. The device includes a generally wedge-shaped portion having a concave surface on a first side of the wedge engageable with an inner surface of an index finger and a concave surface on a second side of the wedge engageable with an inner surface of a middle finger. A pair of loop portions is integrally formed with the wedge-shaped portion so that they each have their opposite ends integrally connected to one side or the other adjacent the side surfaces of the wedge portions. In this manner, the loop portions extend laterally outward from the wedge portion sides to be configured to encircle the index and middle fingers. Thus, when worn, the purpose is for the index and middle fingers to be spaced apart for improved basketball shooting. However, to provide for comfort to the wearer, the device is of a soft and pliable silicone material, such that when it is worn, it allows for substantial movement of the index and middle fingers in all directions, including back toward one another. In this regard, the wedge portion has several openings at the top and extending toward the bottom thereof making it highly deformable and thus very easy to deform and compress between the fingers extending through the loop portions.
The currently available training devices and devices have failed to provide a comfortable but effective way of training proper finger spacing on a basketball ball at the time of releasing the ball.